Member's statement: Sectarian Intimidation
Member's statement by Mr Danny Baker on .
- MLA
- Mr Danny Baker
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 28 April 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Sectarian Intimidation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4913792
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I call on all Members of the Chamber to send a strong message today that we call out and condemn those behind sectarian intimidation and threats. In recent weeks, we have seen sectarian hate directed at a pregnant woman in the Suffolk Drive area of west Belfast; towards residents of Altona Drive in Lisburn; and at the Apprentice Boys parade in Lisburn over the Easter period. Acts such as vandalism, graffiti and threatening letters sent to residents have left young families terrified in their own home and others homeless. The erection of flags by masked men outside people's homes has added to the intimidation and was a clear attempt to deter Catholic families from living in certain areas. That is completely unacceptable and absolutely disgraceful. There should be no no-go areas in any society. Sectarianism needs to be called out at every level and on every occasion that it rears its ugly head, including what we witnessed at the recent Apprentice Boys parade. All sectarianism is wrong. All attempts to intimidate are wrong. If they are not confronted, they create a toxic atmosphere where the poisonous and unacceptable behaviour is allowed to fester. I urge all Members in the Chamber, particularly those who were present at the parade in Lisburn, to be absolutely clear and unequivocal and to join me in saying that we demand better for the people we represent and we demand an end to such blatant sectarian hate whenever and wherever it occurs.
246 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.10 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- The text criticises or condemns the framing or division (0.99).
- Subject area: Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.52 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.11 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.06 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.11 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.30 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.10 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.01 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.99 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 1.00 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.